outside1 in red letters, or rubrics, and appeared like a number of small pillars on the shelves.

3

4

Our present paper surpasses all former materials for ease and convenience of writing. The first papermill in England was erected at Dartford, by a German, in 15885 who was knighted by Elizabeth; but it was not before 1713 that one Thomas Watkins, a stationer, brought the art of paper-making to any perfection, and to the industry of this individual we 10 owe the origin of our numerous paper mills. France had hitherto supplied England and Holland. . . .

9

The ink of the ancients had nothing in 11 common with ours, but the colour and gum; but we possess none equal in beauty and colour to what they used.12 Gall-nuts, copperas, and gum make up 13 the compoup13 sition of our ink, whereas soot or ivory-black was the chief ingredient in that of the ancients.

Ink has been made of various colours; we find gold and silver ink, and red, green, yellow, and blue inks; but the black is considered as the best adapted to its purpose.

ISAAC DISRAELI, " Curiosities of Literature."

1 Titled on the outside, avec le titre à l'extérieur-2 and appeared like a number of, et faisaient l'effet d'autant de-3 present, d'aujourd'hui 4 surpasses, etc......writing, surpasse en commodité toutes les substances qui l'ont précédé by......in 1588, en 1588 par......6 it was not before, ce ne fut qu'en- one, un nommé-8 a to be left out9 brought......to any perfection, améliora sensiblement......-10 and to ......we, et c'est à......que nous in, de-12 we possess none equal ......to what they used, nous n'en avons pas qui égale......celle dont ils se servaient-13 make up, constituent.

GEORGE CANNING.

4

Canning* was a man to1 dazzle popular audiences? and persons who only saw him at a distance; but his colleagues took the measure of him, and we are certainly not blind to his extraordinary abilities when we express our opinion that they had not a little ground for acting as they did. A restless manœuverer, an able but self-sufficient minister, a lover of clap-traps, and one who10 jests too freely, must expect to meet with opposition. The baffled 11 career of a man at once 12 so strong and so weak, so ambitious and so balked,13 is a great lesson, the effect of which ought not to be lessened by the attempt to lay 14 the blame on other people. At this distance of time, one cannot help having a kindness 15 for Canning, and wishing that he had been successful; 16 but if he was disappointed in his aims, we are compelled, in all justice, to admit that the fault lay with himself.17

9

The Times, Oct. 26, 1859.

1 A man to, fait pour-2 audiences, assemblées-3 only......at a, ne......qu'à 4 took the measure of him, l'appréciaient à sa juste valeur 5 to, sur-6 not a little ground, de bonnes raisons-7 for acting as they did, pour en agir comme ils le firent- manoeuverer, intriganta lover of clap-traps, qui se plait à jeter de la poudre aux yeux-10 and one who, et qui-11 baffled, désappointée 12 at once, à la fois-13 balked, contrarié dans sa marche 14 the attempt to lay, la tentative faite pour en rejeter-15 a kindness, de l'indulgence 16 that he had been successful, qu'il eût réussi-17 the fault lay with himself, c'est à lui-même qu'en fut la faute.

* George Canning was born in London, in 1770, and died in 1827.

A LADY CURED OF POLITICAL AMBITION.

4

of her. They What she called longed to call 5

When Madame de Stäel's book, "Sur la Révolution Française," came out,1 it made an extraordinary impression upon me. I turned, in the first place, as everybody did, eagerly to2 the chapter on England; but, though my natural feelings were gratified, my female3 pride was dreadfully mortified by what she says of the ladies of England; in fact, she could not judge of them. They were afraid would not come out of their shells. timidity, and what I am sure she stupidity, was the silence of overawed admiration, or mixed curiosity and discretion." Those who did venture had not full possession of their powers, or in a hurry showed them in a wrong direction. She saw none of them in their natural state. She asserts that, though there may be1o women distinguished as writers in England, there are no ladies who have any great conversational and political influence in society," of that kind which, during the ancien régime, was obtained in France by 12 what they would call their femmes marquantes. .

8

Between ourselves, I suspect she was a little mis

1 Came out, parut-2 I turned, in the first place, as everybody did, eagerly to, je lus tout d'abord avec empressement comme tout le monde

female, comme femme- in fact, le fait est que-5 she longed to call, elle aurait volontiers appelé-6 or mixed curiosity and discretion, ou d'une curiosité mêlée de discrétion-7 powers, facultés 8 or in a hurry......in a wrong direction, ou dans leur précipitation......sous un faux jour-9 none......in their, aucune......dans son-10 there may be, il puisse y avoir-11 who have any great conversational and political influence in society, qui aient une grande influence sociale dans les salons politiques et autres-12 of that kind which......was obtained in France by, comme celle dont jouissaient, en France......

taken1 in some of these assertions; but be that as it may, I determined to prove that she was mistaken; I was conscious3 that I had more within me than I had yet brought out;5 I did not doubt that I had eloquence, if I had but courage to produce it. It is really astonishing what a mischievous effect those few passages produced on my mind. In London, one book drives out another-one impression, however deep, is effaced by the next shaking of the sand ;9 but I was then in 10 the country, for, unluckily for me, Lord Davenant had been sent away on some special embassy.11 Left alone with my nonsense, I set about, as soon as I was able, to 12 assemble an audience around me, to exhibit myself in the character of a female politician; 13 and I believe I had a notion 14 at the same time of being the English Corinne. Rochefoucault,15* the dexterous anatomist of selflove, says that we confess our small faults to persuade the world that we have no larger ones. But, for my part, I feel that there are some 16 small faults more difficult to 17 me to confess than any large ones. Affectation, for instance; it is something so 18 little, so paltry; it is more than a crime; it is a ridicule : I believe I did make myself completely ridiculous ;

1 She was......mistaken, elle se trompait......2 be that as it may, quoi qu'il en soit-3 I was conscious, je sentais I had more within me, il y avait plus chez moi-5 than I had yet brought out, que je n'avais jusqu'à présent fait paraitre that I had, que je n'eusse-7 mischievous, pernicieux-8 however deep, si profonde qu'elle soit—9 by the next shaking of the sand, aussisôt que le sable se trouve remué-10 in, à-11 on some special embassy, en mission spéciale-12 I set about...... to, je m'occupai......de-13 a female politician, une femme d'état-14 a notion, l'idée 15 R., la R.-16 some, certaines-17 to, pour-18

de si.

* See Biographical notice in Appendix.

80,

I am glad Lord Davenant was not by1-it lasted but a short time. Our dear good friend Dumont could not bear to see it; his regard for Lord Davenant urged him the more to disenchant me, and bring me back, before his return, to my natural form. The disenchantment was rather rude.

One evening after I had been snuffing up3 incense till I was quite intoxicated, when my votaries had departed, and we were alone together, I said to him, "Allow that this is what would be called at Paris un grand succès." Dumont made no reply, but stood opposite to me playing in his peculiar manner with his great snuff-box, slowly swaying the snuff from side to side. Knowing this to be a sign that he was in some great dilemma,10 I asked of what he was thinking.

"Of you," said he.

"And what of me ?12

9

In his French accent he repeated those two provoking lines

"New wit, like wine, intoxicates the brain,

Too strong for feeble women to sustain.” 13

"To my face?" I said,14 smiling, for I tried to command my temper.15

"Better 16 than behind your back, as others do," said he.

"Behind my back! Impossible!"

1 By, présent-2 could not bear to see it, n'en put souffrir la vue3 after I had been snuffing up, que j'avais aspiré till I was, au point d'en être 5 and, et que-6 allow that this is, admettez que c'est là7 in his peculiar, à sa from side to side, d'un côté à l'autre9 this to be a sign, que c'était signe-10 he was in some great dilemma, il se trouvait fort embarrassé-I......of, je lui......à-12 and what of me, et qu'est-ce que vous pensez de moi-13 for......to_sustain, pour que......puissent le soutenir-14 I said, lui dis-je, en-15 to command my temper, de me maîtriser-16 better, cela vaut mieux.